End of support for Windows Server: Are you ready?

July 14, 2015 is the End of Support for Windows Server 2003/R2. Why is this of concern?

No updates:
37 critical updates were released in 2013 for Windows Server 2003/R2 under Extended Support. No updates will be developed or released after July 14^th, 2015.

No compliance:
Lack of compliance with various standards and regulations can be devastating. This may include various regulatory and industry standards for which compliance can no longer be achieved.

No safe haven:
Both virtualized and physical instances of Windows Server 2003 are vulnerable and would not pass a compliance audit. Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) 2003 servers are also affected.

Common Misconceptions:

I don’t use Windows Server 2003 so I’m not affected
Even if your business doesn’t use Windows Server 2003, with over 8 million installations still being used nationwide the chances are that someone you do business with is still using it. You need to understand how it will affect you if they don’t take action.

I’m not subject to compliance so I’m not affected:
Lack of compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards might mean companies such as Visa and MasterCard will no longer do business with you – or your vendors. If they do, the new cost of doing business is likely to include paying catastrophic penalties and astronomically high transaction fees.

There’s plenty of time left to move:
Based on application dependencies and industry average, it can take up to over 100 days to properly migrate from Windows Server 2003. With the deadline of July 14, 2015 fast approaching, you may already behind the curve ball.

It will cost too much to move:
Staying put will cost more in the end. Maintenance costs for aging hardware will also increase. Added costs will be incurred for intrusion detection systems, more advanced firewalls, network segmentation, and so on—simply to isolate Windows Server 2003 servers.

My server runs just fine so I’m safe:
Many applications, including all Microsoft applications, may also cease to be supported, once the operating system they are running on is unsupported. If you’re running applications on your Windows 2003 server, you may find yourself in trouble further down the road.

Now is the time to act!